Hi guys, I'm coming from quite a few BMW's. Let's get started by saying my best friend and my father let me into a situation in buying my current E36 M3. Back, when we lived in Bangladesh my father was looking to buy an E36 cabrio in Estoril blue but didn't. Later on, last year I discovered a couple BMW drivers in my town. This guy became a very very close friend of mine (Graham) we started talking and then one day we went to a cars and coffee together. At that time I had two E39 530iA's. One sport (217k miles beater) and the other being a premium package (161k miles being my first car) the plan was for the sterlinggrau was to be restored so I bought the second one as a beater. Graham had a very very clean E46 325i SULEV.

Anyways, the day Graham and I went to the cars & coffee we were talking how bad the plasti dipped e60 rims were outside in the parking lot. That moment another friend of mine Armand (has an e34 525i and my sterlinggrau 530i). That moment we all were nerding out and talking about Graham's M56. Then I was like we should remove the dip out of my wheels. So we all drove spiritedly from Toledo to Ohio. Bought the supplies and started working on the 530i. Needless to say she looked fab.

That day I was telling Graham how much I loved the E39 M5 and E36 M3. The guy I just bought my beater from had just purchased an E36 M3. Graham didn't believe me. I called the guy and asked him if we could come by. He was like sure and we drove to Bowling Green, Ohio. Then, Graham was just fluttered. The M3 was in bits and pieces. It had 178k miles but a 95 well moded but was a driver. Being a Wisconcion, MI and Ohio car it had rust. I wanted to buy that car before Graham saw it and the seller wouldn't sell it to me. But he did to Graham. Ever since then I've wanted an M3.

A couple days later Graham starts to sell the E46 to fund the E36. He sold the E46 to a friend but that friend gave it back to Graham because the fuel pump went bad. Graham battled with dealership and got the SULEV warranty. He then sold the car to some women. THen the friend he sold the car to originally made an offer for my beater I just took it. Sold that sport 530i to him. Then my sterlinggrau 530's second transmission slipped one day. I bought one from a junkyard (reputable) for $900 that went bad after installing it. That point I was over that car. I had spent so much time and money on it I was done. I sold it to Armand since it was going to a very very good home and I knew I would get first dibbs if it would come up for sale. Armand bought the car next day he swapped in a reman ZF 5hp19 which he claimed for warranty.

Then I dailyed a E70 X5 sport for 3 months looking for an E39 530i Sport southern car with 0 rust and most importantly with a third pedal. I couldn't find a non abused car. I found one automatic that had splendid service history with 90k miles and this was what every e39 owner would have loved without the third pedal. It had 0 mechanical issues and 0 rust. The BBS 42's were fantastic. She was a looker. She drove exceptionally well. The PO spent atleast $5,000 in the past 3 years he had owned it to be mechanically solid.

I was dailying the car all went well until one day Graham gave me a call and told me the dakar yellow e36 m3 that had been parked by this house for the past 4 years ever since I moved here was up for sale. I had seen this car everyday ever since I moved. I loved the car and little did I know it would be mine. I immediatly went to see the car but it was in awful shape. I passed it. Then after talking to my friend Jake (e46 325/5 sport electric red) & Ben (e46 325ci 5spd) they convinced me buying it.

The first day when we went to drive it she didn't have a battery and I put the battery out of my 530i and put it on the M3 and she fired right up. We let her warm up. And then we took her on a road. She didn't have any plates. But she was a driver. She had this clunk from the side it was hit but turned out to be rear shock mounts what it needed. So after the PPI was done and 2 weeks of talking to the owner I was the owner of my first M car at 17.

I talked to the seller and he didn't want a trade for my 530i and to be frank I'd loose that trade. So, I ended up selling the 530i in a month and then bought the M3 after getting a PPI done. The car had 147k miles when I bought it now 3 months later 148k and it is my daily.

Right after doing the heatercore the right window would not go up. I ordered a regulator with motor. Turns out the new ones regulator is bad but the motor is good so I'm swapping that this sunday.

I've loved this car and driving it is a blast. I plan on bringing it to it's former glory. The car sat for so long is because the PO was caught having pot and going clocked at 150. It was claimed to be started once a week.

Also, how are the DDM tuning front bumper? The lower bottom of mine was epoxied and it broke once I didn't pay attention to a steep driveway (rookie move I know)

Well, you've got your work cut out for you. I'm not sure I would buy a car with 1/4 panel damage that bad even for $3500.

I was quoted $500 to fix that quarter and rust by a very good body guy. Its not even that bad. I paid $3,200 for it. It's definetly a diamond in the rough. The one my friend bought had rusted subframe for $3,600 and had over 220k miles when he bought it. The mileage was tampered too

I was quoted $500 to fix that quarter and rust by a very good body guy.

Unless you pulled him out of a burning building, someone isn't properly fixing a crushed quarter panel and rust for $500.
Pop out the panel, POR15 the rust and enjoy the car until it makes no sense to put money into it. Then swap over all the parts to a better shell. This car is 6-8k away from having the body being where it’s in perfect shape, but that doesn't mean it can't be super fun. Unless the car is PERFECT mechanically and you are willing to invest to have the body fixed properly, I’d say just enjoy it as is for the most part.

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